Choosing a limit type

After you determine the users and applications to limit, chose the resource limit type.

Table 1-1 describes the function and scope of each limit type and indicates the tools that help determine whether a particular query might benefit from this type of limit. You may want to create more than one type of limit for a given user and application. See “Understanding limit types”.

Table 1-1: Resource limit types

Limit type

Use for queries that

Measuring resource usage

Scope

Enforced during

io_cost

Require many logical and physical reads.

Use set showplan on before running the query, to display its estimated I/O cost; use set statistics io on to observe the actual I/O cost.

Query

Preexecution or execution

row_count

Return large result sets.

Use the @@rowcount global variable to help develop appropriate limits for row count.

Query

Execution

elapsed_time

Take a long time to complete, either because of their own complexity or because of external factors such as server load or waiting for a lock.

Use set statistics time on before running the query, to display elapsed time in milliseconds.

Query batch or transaction

Execution

tempdb_space

Use all space in tempdb when creating work or temporary tables.

Number of pages used in tempdb per session.

Query batch or transaction

Execution

idle_time

Are inactive.

Time, in seconds, during which the connection is inactive.

Individual processes

Preexecution

The spt_limit_types system table stores information about each limit type.